He Makes Colonial Bricks
Mr. !M. R. Iledgwoek lias a most unusual vo¬
cation — he duplicates the kinil off bricks
that were made in this country «luring the
colonial era, and he uses exactly the same
methods.
WHILE North Carolinians ex¬
cel at many trades, little is
known of the part Mr. N. R.
Hedgccock, of Winston-Salem, has
Clayed in the restoration of famous
omes, churches, and other pre¬
tentious buildings throughout the
Carolines and Virginia. Brought up
in the making of hand-made bricks,
he uses the identical process em¬
ployed by his ancestors in the
manufacture of colonial bricks,
and carries on the industry today
in the same manner employed in
the long ago.
An ancient belief that appears to
have tenuous vitality, declares that
the bricks used in our early build¬
ings were imported from England.
While the idea on the whole is a
fallacy, many bricks were doubt¬
lessly brought over as ballast for
ships, and for building purposes.
However, it was not very long
after the coming of the first colo¬
nists before bricklayers were
brought from England to work our
fine clay, which was found to pro¬
vide bricks of a splendid quality.
Restoring Washington’s Home
For instance, it is a matter of
record that Wakefield, the Vir¬
ginia home on the Potomac River
in which George Washington was
born, was built of bricks, hand¬
made, of clay from a nearby field.
This historic early mansion was
burned on Christmas Eve, 1780;
but, with the help of Mr. Hedge-
cock and his band of faithful men,
a prototype has been built of hand¬
made bricks and once more this
historic shrine graces the land.
In all the genuine restoration of
Virginia buildings, including the
mammoth undertaking at Wil¬
liamsburg, Mr. Hedgecock's hand¬
made bricks only have been used.
They, for the first part, are not
only larger than our present bricks,
but they also have a character that
is not obtained by mechanical proc¬
esses.
In all work undertaken at Wil¬
liamsburg, according to Mr. Hedge-
cock, fidelity to history and tradi¬
tion demand that the bricks be fab¬
ricated from native clay, and that
THE STATE. June 28. 1947
By HARRY Z. TUCKER
they must be made as nearly as
possible according to the original
process. In order to achieve this
verisimilitude, a diligent search
was made throughout the country
for a primitive brick-making plant.
One was found in North Carolina.
It was in this way that the Win¬
ston-Salem man became one of the
prime factors in the tremendous
project of restoring Old Williams¬
burg. a project which has already
proved a success and one that will
remain an educational and scenic
treat for all time to come.
How the Work is Done
The plant in which the bricks are
made is of interest from both an
historical and industrial viewpoint.
It consists of a large box wherein
the clay is worked and moistened
into a suitable consistency to form
the "dough" from which the bricks
are made. In the center of the box,
set upright, is a strong beam of oak
which has flanges projecting later¬
ally and which stirs the clay and
insures a uniform mixture of the
clay and water.
The power for the mixing device
is furnished by a horse that tramps
continuously in a circle, pulling a
long pole. As the horse turns the
mixer, a man shovels clay into the
box. or hopper, and adds water as
required. The flanges are so con¬
structed that they force the clay
downward to the bottom of the
mixer, where it escapes through a
hole as heavy clay dough.
The dough has been handled for
many years by "Old Babe," a col¬
ored master brickmaker, who
draws it from the box, turns it in
sand, and then drops it into a mould
box which holds six bricks, size
8% inches in length, 4 inches wide,
and 2% inches in thickness. Thus
it will be observed that the bricks
of yesterday are somewhat larger
in length and thickness than our
bricks of today.
When the mould box is filled,
the brickmaker draws a slat over it
to insure evenness of surface upon
the exposed side of the bricks. The
ofTbearer conveys the six bricks to
the yard and skillfully overturns
it upon a flat, sandy surface, where
they are exposed to the sun for
several days. After the bricks are
sufficiently sun-dried, they are
taken up and put in kilns, where
they are burned until ready for
use. The kilns are of the primitive
type known as the old Dutch pat¬
tern in which wood is burned.
The capacity of the mill is prac¬
tically the same as the original
hand-made brick plants - - about
4,000 bricks per day. all deftly
moulded by a single pair of hands.
In the operation of the mill six men
are employed, all colored. In addi¬
tion to the master brickmaker. who
stands waist high in a pit by the
side of the mixer, there is a man
who brings the clay and dumps
it near the mixer, one man who
feeds the clay and water, two off-
bearers who deposit the moulded
bricks on the drying ground, and
there is one utility man who keeps
the drying ground sanded and
helps at odd jobs.
Been at it a Long Time
Mr. Hedgecock has survived an
ancient craft that is as unique as
the faithful men engaged in it. He
and his men have worked together
so long that there is a firm attach¬
ment existing between them, and
which is manifest in all their rela¬
tionships. The latest employee of
the crew has been with Mr. Hedge-
cock for more than twenty years;
the oldest, now nearing eighty
years of age, was with his father.
When the writer saw this crew
at work at Williamsburg. Old Abe
was by far the most interesting per¬
sonality in the lot — an ancient col¬
ored man, deaf and gray of hair,
who for more than 40 years has fol¬
lowed this same calling. But he
showed a deftness and rapidity of
motion that was almost startling.
Through his hands pass every
day 4,000 bricks, averaging ten
pounds each. Through those fragile
( Continued on page 29)
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